You may have seen me around campus. Like you, I hurry to class clutching a laptop and phone, dressed in layers because, regardless of the season, classroom temperatures can range from arctic to stifling.
Unlike you, however, my laptop is circa 2019, my battered Android on its last legs. My “hurry” mode is more like a slow trudge up the endless hills leading to every main campus classroom ever.
Why? Because I’m old enough to be your mother – or let’s say, favorite aunt. Labeling me a non-traditional student is an understatement. After early retirement from a corporate career, I’ve taken “non-traditional” to the next level and returned to school as an audit student.
Why? Because learning should be lifelong.
Why at Columbus State University?
Because you include me
After frequent moves and several breaks in my formal education — a few quarters in Indiana, some semesters in Michigan — I landed in Columbus, Georgia, where I returned to school as an older student. I eventually graduated from and then earned a master’s degree from CSU.
For the first time, I felt included in campus life and academic community — truly welcomed —because CSU students focus on what we have in common, not on our differences. You’re eager to explore a wide range of perspectives, even those that don’t fit into a tidy black-and-white world. It’s clear you respect diverse lifestyles, viewpoints and experiences, making our discussions richer and learning deeper. You foster an environment where friendships flourish and people feel valued.
Because you indulge me
“No soup for you.”
Thank you for enduring endless quotes from Seinfeld, The Big Lebowski and Monty Python, even though you realize that few non-traditional students will make the effort to get into, much less quote, your own pop culture. We may even disparage it with phrases like, “You call that music?”
You don’t complain, though, because you’ve seen what happens when “adults” infiltrate your space. We’ve already corrupted mainstream social media, so it’s probably best that you keep the newest platforms to yourselves as long as you can. Be prepared to launch the next version as soon as we ferret out what you are up to and pile on with pictures of grandchildren, recipes for Cool Whip-based desserts and memories centering around big hair. All while lamenting how MTV used to be about music videos.
Because you inspire me
Your intelligence and passion awe me. This point in history is overflowing with issues that test our sensibilities, and I marvel at your willingness to voice opinions about the injustices you witness.
And rightly so.
A campus reflects society, and it’s a place where civil discussions across differences are especially important. CSU students are well-informed and can articulate opinions about topics ranging from freedom of speech to T.S. Eliot.
We’ve handed you a broken world, one that includes climate change, a global pandemic and a nation undergoing what Founding Father and second U.S. president John Adams identified as Democracy suicide. Your ability to speak up and speak out is critical to America’s future and is a powerful source of inspiration.
Because you impress me
It’s tempting to assign generational labels based on birth year to explain traits, but they are rife with stereotypes. I won’t group you into a single category – you are each too nuanced and unique for that. Plus, you’re already being upstaged by Gen Alpha. (6 7, y’all).
But your generation does have its own overarching superpowers. For one, you’re remarkedly tech savvy and you share that expertise with patience and, thankfully, without being patronizing.
As the masses lap up homogenized, overly curated AI-generated pap, your generation also stays steadfast in its convictions and remains optimistic. It’s reassuring to sit alongside you in class and watch that positive passion unfold.
Returning to school after *mumble* years away is full of challenges, but with your help, I’m climbing those hills. Thank you.
